While the Pentagon has been claiming that cost of the F-35 Lightning II is under control, we are seeing continuing rounds of double digit annual price increases.
Rinse, lather, repeat.
The cost of all three variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are increasing by as much as roughly 11 percent, according to the Pentagon.
A spokesperson for the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) confirmed to Breaking Defense that the average flyaway cost — a metric that measures when a jet has all the equipment it needs for delivery — of the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A rose to $92 million in the aircraft’s 18th and 19th production lots, which will deliver over the next two years. That’s up from the $82.5 million price tag of the jet’s most recent group of production contracts spanning 2023 to 2026, a growth of 11.5 percent.
Similarly, the price of a jump jet F-35B rose to $121.4 million across lots 18 and 19, while the carrier-capable F-35C climbed to $110.8 million. For the F-35B, that’s an increase of 11.4 percent compared to a previous price tag of $109 million; the F-35C had the smallest increase of 8.5 percent set against a prior cost of $102.1 million.
Can you say, "Death spiral?" Good, I knew you could.
The cost of purchasing the aircraft are spiking.
The operating costs are horrendous, being slightly more than the 2 decade old F-15E.
0 comments :
Post a Comment